A rare peek behind the curtain of the Army's Sunny Point terminal

Trucks line up carrying containers filled with various supplies, ammunition and explosives to be loaded onto the 950-foot motor vessel LTC John U.D. Page in the Center Wharf at Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point in Southport on Thursday, May 30, 2013.

Published: Sunday, July 7, 2013 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, July 5, 2013 at 10:34 p.m.

Just up the road is where the U.S. Army shipped the Area 51 aliens, joked Southport resident Mike Green while sipping a glass of white wine at Silver Coast Winery's Southport store.

Facts

Quick Facts

Year built: Construction began in 1952. Completion in 1955. Acreage: 11,000 combined acres on both sides of the Cape Fear RiverEmployees: 250+, mostly civilians with some Army staffNumber of wharfs: Three - North, Center and South

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His wife, Pam, chuckled, then gave him a playful slap on the leg before he reworked a response about the Army's Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point.

“It's hush-hush,” he said about the operations at the world's largest military ammunition port, located less than 10 miles away. “They don't want to give up their secrets.”

Donegan Walker, a store employee, heard Sunny Point is where the booms known as the Seneca Guns originate – the sonic waves that come suddenly, mysteriously and shake people's houses.

“That's not true,” corrected his manager, David Thorp, who then gave Walker a brief history of the ammunition terminal.

After the lesson, Walker said he was amazed he hadn't known more about it. “But it's not really a topic of conversation,” he said.

While Sunny Point is not a dinner table subject, there is no doubt the sprawling port commands plenty of speculation and interest about its operations.

There's an air of secrecy surrounding the terminal that doesn't exist at bases like Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg, which are visible parts of North Carolina's military culture. The dearth of detail leaves MOTSU a veiled landmark hidden behind its 8,000 acres of longleaf pines and “U.S. Property, No Trespassing” signs.

But when the layers of secrecy are peeled back, the revelation is that the port functions much like any other, with the added precautions that come with shipping the U.S. military, and its allies, a significant portion of their armaments – containers chock full of grenades, rockets, missiles and belts of bullets.

At MOTSU, unmarked railcars and trailers come and go on a regular basis, and information during fires and emergencies is closely safeguarded. For a port that boasts more land than the Port of Los Angeles, it uses only a small percentage of the space available to it. Even the tiny port of Wilmington seems to outclass the military terminal's operations.

And for good reason.

It was uniquely built for the mission set forth by the U.S. Department of Defense, said U.S. Army Col. Glenn Baca, deputy chief of staff of operations for the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. That command controls the brigades and terminals responsible for the movement of military supplies.

Sunny Point is a key cog in how the U.S. supplies its military, and the largest terminal capable of handling containerized ammunitions.

“Sunny Point … is absolutely essential for (the movement of) ammunition and explosives,” Baca said. “It's the biggest port for that.”

The neighbor down the street

Sunny Point officially opened for business in 1955 as a response to California's devastating Port Chicago explosion.

The accident, a result of a military ammunition explosion in 1944, caused 320 deaths, 390 injuries and millions of dollars in property damage. The fireball was reported to have extended 3 miles in diameter and reached a height of 12,000 feet.

It flattened most of the port and adjoining town.

The potential for that degree of explosion strikes fear into many residents of the area, including the Greens, but area officials say they are confident in the way the port handles its business.

While many are on a need-to-know basis, others, like Anthony Marzano, Brunswick County emergency services director, stay in close contact with the terminal.

Even a fire in 2001 aboard the cargo ship Staff Sgt. Edward A. Carter Jr. that claimed two lives isn't enough for emergency and town officials to worry. Marzano and emergency crews are prepared, and train, for such emergencies.

“I'm very comfortable that I know what I need to know about Sunny Point and its operations in order to be prepared for an emergency,” Marzano said. “I interact more with them than many of the municipalities.”

Southport Mayor Robert Howard said there is little trepidation about Sunny Point.

“Because of our long-term experience with it, we never have any real concerns about it being there,” he said.

And for many, the terminal is more of a boon than a possible boom, as it has helped sustain Southport's economy.

The port provides steady employment, and well-paying jobs, to more than 250 people.

Brunswick County Commissioner Pat Sykes once worked there, and many a dockworker and stevedore have made their careers there.

Todd Coring, a Southport alderman and sheriff's deputy, said he has an immense amount of respect for the base.

Howard said the pros outweigh the cons.

“We certainly have some exposure, but so do other people,” he said. “You think about West, Texas, with the fertilizer plant ... but (MOTSU's) operation is safe as anybody's can be.”

Mitigating risks

On a sunny day in May, the LTC John U.D. Page of Norfolk, Va., sat along MOTSU's Center Wharf.

The lengthy dock, which holds two newly purchased 200-foot, red Doosan cranes, buzzed with activity as a steady single-file line of containers was towed to the side of the ship. Once in position, each container was snatched from its trailer by a crane and lowered inside the hull of the massive ship.

The loading moved at a snail's pace. The slow process is in place for a purpose, said Matt Fuller, with SDDC Ammunitions, while walking the dock that day. “We do what we can to mitigate the risks,” he explained.

The inventory loaded onto the Page represents an array of ammunition and explosives that turns the Page into a floating powder keg. A misstep can turn into a disaster.

Mike Minson, a safety specialist, said the specter of an accident like Port Chicago means every person at the terminal has a specific role in ensuring safety procedures. The Page's hull holds 2,500 containers, and each is placed like a giant puzzle piece.

The ship has an intricate stow plan, a map for how each container with an orange diamond explosives symbol on its side must be stored. Fuller explained that some explosives don't mix.

Smoke grenades are placed away from where the crew works and sleeps, while heat-sensitive equipment is stowed away from certain explosives.

“Some are more sensitive to heat or just aren't compatible when stored,” Fuller said.

The same procedure goes for temporary storage at the terminal, where giant lots hold certain cargo away from other types. It's the reason for the maze of roads and sprawling stretch of land that includes another 2,000 acres on Pleasure Island to form a buffer zone in case of an explosion.

“We try to dilute (the cargo) by spreading it out over a lot of space,” Fuller said. “We have parking lots and piles of dirt (or berms) that act as buffers. The idea is that if one goes off, it doesn't set off the rest.”

The military's FedEx

Aboard the Page, Capt. James Spang, an employee of The Maersk Group, and George Pearson, an SDDC employee, watched the loading of the 950-foot ship from six stories above.

Spang oversees the ship, and Pearson oversees the dock.

“I am usually the third on the ship when it arrives and last one to watch it leave,” Pearson said. “I see the whole picture.”

Pearson, drawing on his intimate knowledge of what happens on his dock, explained that each container has a purpose. While some are general ammunitions, others are specifically designed for certain units.

“The customer determines … what he wants,” Pearson said. Once cracked open, “it might be for an artillery brigade or a fast fighter brigade.”

So what's inside the containers?

Steve Kerr, deputy to the commander at MOTSU, shed some light on the contents.

“A variety of rockets, different kinds of missiles, projectiles,” he said. “We are talking about Howitzers, big guns, small-arms ammunition, and we get other ammunition-related items, like pyrotechnics, smoke grenades.”

“That's what comes through,” he said.

Many ask if nuclear weapons are shipped through the port. The official statement is the U.S. military can neither confirm nor deny whether nuclear weapons are shipped from the base.

Just as secret is where ships like the Page head once they leave the port.

“We take the ship wherever they ask,” Spang said. Still, he noted, he couldn't divulge his orders because they were classified, anyway.

Ships like the Page have a generally specific plan. Most cruise to a foreign port where they wait until there is a need for the supplies.

“This ship is a floating warehouse that is stored until a customer calls for the cargo,” Pearson said.

He noted that people have often asked whether Sunny Point has slowed down along with the wars in the Middle East. Pearson said no.

“And I just say we have been busy since Vietnam,” he said. “We are the FedEx of the sea, and we are open 365.”

<p>Just up the road is where the U.S. Army shipped the Area 51 aliens, joked Southport resident Mike Green while sipping a glass of white wine at Silver Coast Winery's Southport store.</p><p>His wife, Pam, chuckled, then gave him a playful slap on the leg before he reworked a response about the Army's Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point.</p><p>“It's hush-hush,” he said about the operations at the world's largest military ammunition port, located less than 10 miles away. “They don't want to give up their secrets.”</p><p>Donegan Walker, a store employee, heard Sunny Point is where the booms known as the <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9909"><b>Seneca Guns</b></a> originate – the sonic waves that come suddenly, mysteriously and shake people's houses.</p><p>“That's not true,” corrected his manager, David Thorp, who then gave Walker a brief history of the ammunition terminal.</p><p>After the lesson, Walker said he was amazed he hadn't known more about it. “But it's not really a topic of conversation,” he said.</p><p>While Sunny Point is not a dinner table subject, there is no doubt the sprawling port commands plenty of speculation and interest about its operations.</p><p>There's an air of secrecy surrounding the terminal that doesn't exist at bases like Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg, which are visible parts of North Carolina's military culture. The dearth of detail leaves MOTSU a veiled landmark hidden behind its 8,000 acres of longleaf pines and “U.S. Property, No Trespassing” signs. </p><p>But when the layers of secrecy are peeled back, the revelation is that the port functions much like any other, with the added precautions that come with shipping the U.S. military, and its allies, a significant portion of their armaments – containers chock full of grenades, rockets, missiles and belts of bullets.</p><p>At MOTSU, unmarked railcars and trailers come and go on a regular basis, and information during fires and emergencies is closely safeguarded. For a port that boasts more land than the Port of Los Angeles, it uses only a small percentage of the space available to it. Even the tiny port of Wilmington seems to outclass the military terminal's operations.</p><p>And for good reason.</p><p>It was uniquely built for the mission set forth by the U.S. Department of Defense, said U.S. Army Col. Glenn Baca, deputy chief of staff of operations for the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. That command controls the brigades and terminals responsible for the movement of military supplies. </p><p>Sunny Point is a key cog in how the U.S. supplies its military, and the largest terminal capable of handling containerized ammunitions.</p><p>“Sunny Point … is absolutely essential for (the movement of) ammunition and explosives,” Baca said. “It's the biggest port for that.”</p><h3>The neighbor down the street</h3>
<p>Sunny Point officially opened for business in 1955 as a response to California's devastating Port Chicago explosion.</p><p>The accident, a result of a military ammunition explosion in 1944, caused 320 deaths, 390 injuries and millions of dollars in property damage. The fireball was reported to have extended 3 miles in diameter and reached a height of 12,000 feet.</p><p>It flattened most of the port and adjoining town.</p><p>The potential for that degree of explosion strikes fear into many residents of the area, including the Greens, but area officials say they are confident in the way the port handles its business.</p><p>While many are on a need-to-know basis, others, like Anthony Marzano, Brunswick County emergency services director, stay in close contact with the terminal.</p><p>Even a fire in 2001 aboard the cargo ship Staff Sgt. Edward A. Carter Jr. that claimed two lives isn't enough for emergency and town officials to worry. Marzano and emergency crews are prepared, and train, for such emergencies.</p><p>“I'm very comfortable that I know what I need to know about Sunny Point and its operations in order to be prepared for an emergency,” Marzano said. “I interact more with them than many of the municipalities.”</p><p>Southport Mayor Robert Howard said there is little trepidation about Sunny Point.</p><p>“Because of our long-term experience with it, we never have any real concerns about it being there,” he said.</p><p>And for many, the terminal is more of a boon than a possible boom, as it has helped sustain Southport's economy. </p><p>The port provides steady employment, and well-paying jobs, to more than 250 people. </p><p>Brunswick County Commissioner Pat Sykes once worked there, and many a dockworker and stevedore have made their careers there. </p><p>Todd Coring, a Southport alderman and sheriff's deputy, said he has an immense amount of respect for the base.</p><p>Howard said the pros outweigh the cons.</p><p>“We certainly have some exposure, but so do other people,” he said. “You think about West, Texas, with the fertilizer plant ... but (MOTSU's) operation is safe as anybody's can be.”</p><h3>Mitigating risks</h3>
<p>On a sunny day in May, the LTC John U.D. Page of Norfolk, Va., sat along MOTSU's Center Wharf. </p><p>The lengthy dock, which holds two newly purchased 200-foot, red Doosan cranes, buzzed with activity as a steady single-file line of containers was towed to the side of the ship. Once in position, each container was snatched from its trailer by a crane and lowered inside the hull of the massive ship.</p><p>The loading moved at a snail's pace. The slow process is in place for a purpose, said Matt Fuller, with SDDC Ammunitions, while walking the dock that day. “We do what we can to mitigate the risks,” he explained.</p><p>The inventory loaded onto the Page represents an array of ammunition and explosives that turns the Page into a floating powder keg. A misstep can turn into a disaster.</p><p>Mike Minson, a safety specialist, said the specter of an accident like Port Chicago means every person at the terminal has a specific role in ensuring safety procedures. The Page's hull holds 2,500 containers, and each is placed like a giant puzzle piece.</p><p>The ship has an intricate stow plan, a map for how each container with an orange diamond explosives symbol on its side must be stored. Fuller explained that some explosives don't mix.</p><p>Smoke grenades are placed away from where the crew works and sleeps, while heat-sensitive equipment is stowed away from certain explosives.</p><p>“Some are more sensitive to heat or just aren't compatible when stored,” Fuller said.</p><p>The same procedure goes for temporary storage at the terminal, where giant lots hold certain cargo away from other types. It's the reason for the maze of roads and sprawling stretch of land that includes another 2,000 acres on Pleasure Island to form a buffer zone in case of an explosion.</p><p>“We try to dilute (the cargo) by spreading it out over a lot of space,” Fuller said. “We have parking lots and piles of dirt (or berms) that act as buffers. The idea is that if one goes off, it doesn't set off the rest.”</p><h3>The military's FedEx</h3>
<p>Aboard the Page, Capt. James Spang, an employee of The Maersk Group, and George Pearson, an SDDC employee, watched the loading of the 950-foot ship from six stories above. </p><p>Spang oversees the ship, and Pearson oversees the dock.</p><p>“I am usually the third on the ship when it arrives and last one to watch it leave,” Pearson said. “I see the whole picture.”</p><p>Pearson, drawing on his intimate knowledge of what happens on his dock, explained that each container has a purpose. While some are general ammunitions, others are specifically designed for certain units.</p><p>“The customer determines … what he wants,” Pearson said. Once cracked open, “it might be for an artillery brigade or a fast fighter brigade.”</p><p>So what's inside the containers?</p><p>Steve Kerr, deputy to the commander at MOTSU, shed some light on the contents.</p><p>“A variety of rockets, different kinds of missiles, projectiles,” he said. “We are talking about Howitzers, big guns, small-arms ammunition, and we get other ammunition-related items, like pyrotechnics, smoke grenades.”</p><p>“That's what comes through,” he said.</p><p>Many ask if nuclear weapons are shipped through the port. The official statement is the U.S. military can neither confirm nor deny whether nuclear weapons are shipped from the base.</p><p>Just as secret is where ships like the Page head once they leave the port.</p><p>“We take the ship wherever they ask,” Spang said. Still, he noted, he couldn't divulge his orders because they were classified, anyway.</p><p>Ships like the Page have a generally specific plan. Most cruise to a foreign port where they wait until there is a need for the supplies.</p><p>“This ship is a floating warehouse that is stored until a customer calls for the cargo,” Pearson said.</p><p>He noted that people have often asked whether Sunny Point has slowed down along with the wars in the Middle East. Pearson said no.</p><p>“And I just say we have been busy since Vietnam,” he said. “We are the FedEx of the sea, and we are open 365.”</p><p><i></p><p><a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9907"><b>Jason Gonzales</b></a>: 343-2075</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @StarNews_Jason</i></p>